


The Haunted Halls of Garreg Mach

by PrincessMekaBunny



Category: Fire Emblem: Fuukasetsugetsu | Fire Emblem: Three Houses
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-30
Updated: 2020-10-30
Packaged: 2021-03-09 04:54:51
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 11,371
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27289003
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PrincessMekaBunny/pseuds/PrincessMekaBunny
Summary: On the final night of the Wyvern Moon, the students at Garreg Mach participate in a festival to celebrate the blessings the goddess have bestowed upon them for the year. They say that one night per year, the goddess liked to spread playful mischief, all in good fun. To appease her and ensure you wouldn’t be bothered for the rest of the night, you would have to offer up a sweet treat.Since the days of the goddess, the festival has changed to be more casual. Originally students would don special attire to masquerade themselves as they spread mischief, but now they don said attire in the name of fun. They also give the faculty an option of giving them treats before they cause mischief. Some wish to see what the students come up with while some prefer to be left alone. Some students however, just wish to don the attire and avoid the treats altogether, and instead celebrate with their fellow classmates.This is the tale of one festival night where a certain group of students discovered that there’s more lurking in the halls of Garreg Mach than just mischief-hungry students.***Made for EmblemCon 2020***
Comments: 1
Kudos: 10





	The Haunted Halls of Garreg Mach

On the final night of the Wyvern Moon, the students at Garreg Mach participate in a festival to celebrate the blessings the goddess have bestowed upon them for the year. They say that one night per year, the goddess liked to spread playful mischief, all in good fun. To appease her and ensure you wouldn’t be bothered for the rest of the night, you would have to offer up a sweet treat.

Since the days of the goddess, the festival has changed to be more casual. Originally students would don special attire to masquerade themselves as they spread mischief, but now they don said attire in the name of fun. They also give the faculty an option of giving them treats before they cause mischief. Some wish to see what the students come up with while some prefer to be left alone. Some students however, just wish to don the attire and avoid the treats altogether, and instead celebrate with their fellow classmates.

This is the tale of one festival night where a certain group of students discovered that there’s more lurking in the halls of Garreg Mach than just mischief-hungry students.

*

“The maids’ rooms were completely empty- as if they’d never existed! Then she remembered the painting, and she knew. It was him! He’d come for them!”

And with those words, a loud scream echoed throughout the halls of Garreg Mach. Mercedes couldn’t help but giggle at the reaction. She knew the story might have been a little too scary for her victim, but he brought it on himself. After all, when she first approached Alois, he told her to “do her worst”, wanting to see what kind of trick she’d pull.

“Mercie! Is everything alright?” Annette called out as she came running out of one of the halls. She paused to examine the scene and was confused to find that Mercedes was quite alright, but Alois was the one looking like he had just seen a ghost.

“Oh yes. I was just telling Alois here one of my scary stories.” She turned to Alois and smiled at him. “Would you like Annette to trick you too?”

“N-n-no! That’s quite unnecessary!” Alois responded, his knees trembling in his armour. “P-please! Take all of the treats I have.”

“Aww, you don’t want to hear the rest of my story?” Mercedes asked, a soft and innocent expression on her face.

“YOU MEAN THERE’S MORE!?!”

Annette could see that Alois was in distress and took the pail full of treats from his hands. At first, she thought he was resisting, but quickly realized that his hands were just frozen in fear. She took a step back and smiled at him. “Thank you for the treats, Alois! Mercie and I will be on our way now!”

“Uh, y-yeah. St-stay safe you two, and umm… avoid any paintings if you can help it.”

Mercedes and Annette couldn’t help but watch as Alois spun around and stiffly departed, no doubt heading back to his quarters for the rest of the night. The two girls shared a look with each other and began to giggle.

“Mercie, you know that was mean of you.”

“But I never even got to the best part,” she teased as she sighed. “At least I’m doing my costume justice.”

“Yep!” Annette replied happily. “We make quite the pair! Annette the Angel takes care of the treats while Mercedes the Devil takes care of the tricks! Although with all the treats I got from Shamir and Catherine, and now this huge pail from Alois, I think we may have a little too much.”

“Well, we can always share them with the rest of our classmates, can’t we?”

“Of course! Gee Mercie, even when you’re supposed to be evil, you’re still too sweet for your own good!”

“Well, I wouldn’t go that far,” Mercedes replied as she blushed. “We should actually go and meet up with the rest of the Blue Lions. Prince Dimitri said he wanted to do something special with us, but never really said what.”

“Let’s go then! I can’t wait to see the looks on their faces when we show up with all these treats!”

As the two began to depart, an idea sparked in Mercedes’ mind that caused the corners of her mouth to curl up uncontrollably. “Say, Annie, have I ever told you the story of Shanty Pete?”

*

The sun was just setting, the light soon to be extinguished. A lot of the students at Garreg Mach were either turning in for the night or getting ready for the real fun to begin.  
In the courtyard, just in front of the classrooms, most of the Blue Lions were waiting patiently for the last of their classmates to arrive. All except for Sylvain, who kept pacing around impatiently and sighing, which was driving a couple of his classmates crazy.

“Ahhhh, come on, how long are they going to be? I’m missing out on seeing all of the gorgeous ladies.”

“You’re going to miss out on a lot more if you don’t stop pacing,” Ingrid scolded, nudging his side when he came close. “You’re driving the rest of us insane. I swear Felix is seconds away from stabbing you.”

“Yes, please restrain yourself Sylvain,” Dimitri commented, shaking his head at the display. “I’m sure that Mercedes and Annette will be here momentarily.”

As if on cue, a soft voiced echoed in the distance. When the group turned to look at the source, they saw Annette merrily skipping towards them with Mercedes in tow. They felt relieved that they didn’t have to wait any longer, as they were eager to hear why the prince summoned them all together, but that relief was soon crushed when Annette tripped over a rock and spilled the candy all over the courtyard.

“Oh no! Mercie! Our treats!”

“It’s alright Annette, we still have time to get some more.”

“Yes, Mercedes is correct,” Dimitri said, approaching Annette and holding out his hand to her to help her up. She took the prince’s hand and rose up, feeling embarrassed by her blunder. 

She quickly became distracted from it however as she noticed Dimitri’s costume. “Wow Prince Dimitri! That’s a really cool pirate costume you’re wearing!”

“Oh, this thing?” Dimitri couldn’t help but look away, blush forming on his cheeks from embarrassment. He wasn’t used to such a casual compliment and thus, was a bit too shy to look at Annette as he responded. “It’s nothing. It was recommended to me by the Professor. Although I will say that the eyepatch is quite annoying. I can’t imagine having to wear it for more than one night.”

“Well, well, well!” Sylvain said as he trotted over to Annette and Mercedes. “Those are quite some lovely costumes you two ladies have on. You’re sending my heart aflutter just looking at the two of you.”

“Sylvain, your heart would be ‘set aflutter’ if a rock wore a skirt,” Ingrid commented, but it fell on deaf ears as Sylvain thoroughly examined the costumes.

“Thank you, Sylvain,” Mercedes replied sweetly. “And I must say I like your costume too! But… I do wonder why you’re dressed like Seteth.”

“Oh, because I was told we can dress up as something scary and what’s scarier than the strict man himself?” Sylvain folded his arms behind his back and stuck his chin up in the air. “Students, please refrain from doing that. That as well. You’re having too much fun and I must request you cease. And please avoid Flayn. If you do not then I will give you the stink eye no matter where you go.”

Dimitri rolled his eyes as Sylvain laughed. Annette didn’t find the impression to be that funny either, but Mercedes laughed along with him but only out of pity.  
“Ingrid, I totally love your costume!” Annette commented, looking past Sylvain’s shoulder. “You look so pretty!”

“It’s… really nothing…” Ingrid said, looking down at the ground in embarrassment. “This is just the academy’s outfit for those who win the White Heron Cup. I didn’t know what else to wear.”

“And Felix, I see that makeup is holding well!” Mercedes admired. 

Felix merely huffed and looked away. “Yeah… well… you two did do a good job.”

“Felix and makeup, never thought I’d see the day.” Sylvain joked.

However, within seconds, Felix was up upon him and held a blade up to his throat. “Don’t you start. I never wanted to do this ‘dress up’ in the first place. I only did because the royal boar wanted everyone do to this thing together and this ‘Risen’ makeup is the simplest thing for me to wear with my clothes.”

“Chill, Felix, chill! I was only joking!”

As Felix sheathed his sword, Ashe approached the group. He lifted the visor from the helmet as he spoke. “Umm… that does remind me. Your Highness said he had something to share with us?”

“Yes, that is quite right.” Dimitri nodded. “Now that everyone’s here, I can officially say that our house has been invited to Claude and the rest of the Golden Deer’s party that they are hosting. He invited both us and the Black Eagles.”

“Oh yeah! Party time! This is going to be fun!” Sylvain commented, but Ingrid and Felix glared at him to silence him until the prince was done.

“However, the professor said it would be a good idea if during this festival we bonded as a class. Claude’s party will not be for another couple of hours yet, so I’m open to any suggestions you all may have.”

“Will the professor be joining us?” Mercedes asked.

Dimitri shook his head in denial. “I’m afraid not. As the professor is part of the staff, they have to participate in the faculty part of the event, which unfortunately is an all-night endeavour. Especially considering they and Professor Hanneman have to keep an eye on Professor Manuela from going… a little too wild.”

“Welp, I’ve got an idea!” Sylvain called out, taking the helm of conversation. “This night is a big night for everyone. Everyone wants to kick back and cut loose! So, I say we go around and get our fill of tricks in before we get our treats at Claude’s party? What does everyone say? In agreement? Good, I’m off.”

Before anyone could protest, Sylvain had already run off and vanished out of sight. Everyone knew that his true reason was to scope out girls to hit on.

“So much for the bonding idea,” Dimitri sighed. “Someone should go after him and make sure he doesn’t get into too much trouble. I would at least like everyone at the party.”  
“I’d go if I could,” Ashe piped up. “But this armour I borrowed from Alois for my knight costume is a little… stiff. I don’t think I could keep up with him.”

“I could carry you if you wish.” Dedue said, stepping forward. “This barbarian costume is isn’t very restricting. His Highness would have to come with us however.”

Ingrid sighed and shook her head. “Don’t worry about that Dedue. Felix and I will look after him, like we always do.”

“Excuse me, Felix and I?” Felix sneered.

“Yes. Sylvain needs something pointy to keep him in line and I know you won’t let anyone touch your sword. Plus, I’m sure you’d prefer to let him suffer, so I don’t trust you’d go off and then ditch the rest of us until it’s party time. Someone’s gotta keep the both of you in line.”

“Whatever.”

“Thank you, Ingrid,” Dimitri nodded. “I promise that your sacrifice won’t be in vain. We’ll make it up to you somehow.”

“You needn’t worry about that, Your Highness; Sylvain will be the one to make it up to us.”

“And big time,” Felix added.

After the two departed, the prince turned to the rest of the group. “Does anyone have any suggestions for the rest of us?”

Ashe looked down at the ground and scowled. “How about we go around and see if there are any treats left we can collect? There may not be much, but if we can even replace some of them, I think it’d be worth it.”

“I’m so sorry again,” Annette said, burying her face in her hands. 

“You needn’t fret, Annette, we don’t mind. I think that is a wonderful idea too, Ashe. It will give us a chance to show off our costumes to the rest of the faculty. Come then, let us be off.”

*

“Come on you two, do you really think I’d take advantage of his Highness just to flirt with girls?” Sylvain asked as he strolled through the halls with his hands behind his head, without a care in the world.

“Yes,” both Felix and Ingrid said in unison.

“You wound me. I’m a gentleman of my word, so of course I’ll be spreading some tricks here and there,” He paused for a moment and thought. “Buuuut, if there happens to be a maiden about, it wouldn’t be gentlemanly of me not to give her the time of day.”

“Of course,” Ingrid sarcastically replied, rolling her eyes. “Why would we expect any different?”

“Now let’s see what kind of mischief we can get into. Felix, how do you feel about acting?”

“I only have so much ‘acting’ in me, and all of that is being used pretending to be patient with you.”

At that moment the three of them spotted someone sitting on a bench with their back facing towards them. Sylvain immediately deduced from their long green hair and the way they sat that it was a girl underneath the black robe they adorned. He wasted no time approaching her while Ingrid and Felix just groaned.

“Hello there, beautiful. There’s a party tonight over at the Golden Deer house. How would you like me to escort you there? Maybe spend a little time together too?”

The woman turned around and smiled at Sylvain with a softly, causing his heart to race from just how adorable she looked. But then, suddenly, her features began to change. Her eyes became slits, scales started to form on her body. Her body grew larger and wider until her appearance became that of a small dragon. 

She glared down at Sylvain and roared. He looked puzzled momentarily, then smiled. “Jackpot.”

“You are hopeless,” Ingrid said as she bonked him on the back of his head. She looked up at the dragon and grabbed Sylvain’s shoulders and began backing away while pulling him with her. “I umm… I apologize for my friend here. He… lets his mouth run at times. We will just be on our way and you have yourself a wonderful ni-”

As soon as she turned away to flee from the dragon, she noticed that Felix was in front of a bunch of cloaked figures, his hands at his waist and ready to draw his sword. These figures all wore the same cloak the dragon’s human form wore but none of them showed any signs of transforming.

“Get out.”

“We’re not going anywhere,” Felix responded, his fingers itching and ready to unsheathe his sword. “I don’t know who you are but if this is some sort of trick, I would seriously reconsider.”

“Get out,” voices spoke from behind them. They turned and saw the dragon lady was being surrounded by another swarm of cloaked figures. They never even heard them approach. Where in the world did they come from?

“Doesn’t seem like you’re backing down. Very well.”

Within a moment, Felix drew his sword and slashed at the figures. His attack was wide spread, slashing multiple at once, but he was careful to only slash at their clothing and not their bodies. It was meant as a warning to intimidate them and make them flee.

“F-Felix,” Ingrid stammered in disbelief.

Felix looked up at his targets and saw that the figures had disappeared. He turned around and saw that they were behind him now without a scratch. He questioned momentarily how his attack missed. It would’ve been understandable if they had stepped back but with how wide his slash was, he was sure it would’ve at least grazed one or two of their robes. 

However, Ingrid saw the whole thing. The way they dodged; it wasn’t how any ordinary person would dodge. It seemed very… inhuman like. Almost as if they floated out of the way.

“Get. OUT!” 

The figures began screeching, making the three of them cover their ears. Never had they heard anyone make a sound as shrill as that.

They looked around and saw there was a passage that was still open. Without hesitation, the three of them ran to the passage to retreat. Felix wasn’t the happiest about it, but he knew he couldn’t stay there with the screeching. He needed to make a plan of attack with Ingrid and Sylvain. He would need their help.

Sylvain looked back momentarily at the dragon girl and winked at her. “Call me sometime! I’ll come running if you roar my name!”

*

“And if you see Sylvain, please tell him I’d like my clothes back.”

The group of five nodded as Seteth closed the door. Dimitri couldn’t help but shake his head. He should’ve known that Sylvain would swipe Seteth’s clothes for his costume rather than finding or making a replica. He was thankful too Seteth wasn’t holding his actions against the rest of them. 

Both him and Professor Byleth were the only ones left open for treats. However, Manuela was the one to answer Byleth’s door dressed as a rather risqué cat that didn’t leave much to the imagination. Due to her drunken state, they left Byleth’s office empty handed except for half of a drunken bottle of alcohol with lipstick stains on the top.

Seteth originally planned to give each student one piece of candy in spirit of the festival, but when the Lions explained the situation to him, he was sympathetic and gave them a little extra. It was far less than what Annette and Mercedes had collected earlier, but it was better than nothing. He even gave them a few for Ingrid and Felix too, but on the condition that Sylvain was not to receive any. They understood and agreed immediately, but Mercedes secretly planned to bake him some cookies later on to make up for it.

As they left Seteth’s room, they noticed a figure standing at the end of the hallway. Their face was obstructed from the black robe they wore, but from the angle their body was hanging, it appeared as if they were staring at them.

“Hello there. May we help you somehow?” Mercedes asked while the others examined the figure.

Her question was met with silence. Not even a slight movement was made in response. She wasn’t sure if the figure heard her or if she was being ignored.

“M-Marianne?” Ashe asked next. “Is that you under there?”

Once again, the question was met with silence, which made Annette and Ashe tremble in fear. Whatever this person was doing, it was not normal. With it just turning dark as well, their minds went wild with theories.

“Listen here,” Dimitri said as he stepped forward and cleared his throat. “I’m not quite sure who you are, but I do not appreciate this attitude you are showing my classmates. If you have no business with us, then leave.”

Much to everyone’s surprise, the figure turned to their side and began to depart. Normally Annette and Ashe would calm down, but what they saw next sent shivers down their spines and consumed their entire bodies with terror. Even Dimitri, Mercedes, and Dedue were stunned at what they had witnessed.

The figure walked into the wall and completely disappeared.

“G-g-g-g-” Ashe and Annette both stammered in unison, their minds settling on one thing.

“Ahem. Perhaps it would be best if we-” Dimitri began to speak and turned around to escort everyone away from the area to take their minds off of what they just saw, but his words were cut off when they saw a hooded figure behind them, just inches away from Ashe and Annette’s backs.

“Get. OUT!”

Hearing the sudden voice from behind them, Annette and Ashe yelled and began to run away. Ashe ditched the bottom half of his costume, leaving it behind, so that his running wouldn’t be impaired by it. The both of them needed to get away and fast.

“Annie! Ashe! Wait!” Mercedes called out as she followed the two of them.

Dimitri, meanwhile, stood his ground and stared at the figure. He wasn’t sure what he wanted to do but he refused to flee. It wasn’t until the figure began floating towards him and pulling down his hood when he saw the gravity of the situation. The face staring in front of him was no one he recognized, just a young-looking man with dark skin and white hair, but what shook Dimitri was that he could see right through his head.

“Your Highness, we must retreat for now,” Dedue said, placing a hand on Dimitri’s shoulder.

Dimitri refused to move, his eyes becoming fixated on the man’s face. His entire focus was on what he could see and what he could not see. He could see the walls behind him, the paintings, the benches, the plants, everything. But he could see all of that through his head.

Dedue, realizing his Highness was frozen in his thoughts and that this figure was posing a threat, picked up the pirate-themed prince and cradled him in his arms. He ran off while trying to be sharp and aware of his surroundings. He tried to go the same way the others did, but he wasn’t sure where they went after the first split pathway. He didn’t know where to go after that, but just focused on going somewhere safe and protecting Dimitri.

*

Felix, Ingrid, and Sylvain managed to flee from the figures and find solace at the outdoor gazebo. They all sat down inside of it and relaxed for a moment to catch their breath and collect their thoughts.

“Annette… and Mercedes… wanted me to be a princess,” Ingrid gasped in between breaths. “They wanted me to wear heels… I told them no. I needed flats. This is the reason why guys, this is the reason why! Thank goodness I didn’t listen to them!”

“Just who in the world were those people?” Sylvain asked as he scanned the area, trying to see if the hooded figures pursued them.

“I can’t be sure…” Ingrid replied as she leaned forward and looked down at the ground. “But… when you slashed at them, Felix, their movement looked like they were floating. I hate to say it but… I think they’re ghosts.”

Felix and Sylvain shared a look with each other. Felix shook at his head and Sylvain began to laugh, thinking Ingrid’s words were ridiculous.

“Ghosts aren't real,” Felix said adamantly. “If they were, then my brother would be haunting me and telling me to stop touching his sword.”

“Maybe he’s too busy haunting Dimitri,” Sylvain added. “Maybe he’s all ‘Ooo, avenge me your Highness’!”

“I’m serious guys!” Ingrid snapped before looking back down with a frown on her face. “Maybe it wasn’t ghosts, I don’t know. But the way they dodged Felix’s attack… it didn’t seem human at all.”

Sylvain and Felix looked at each other again, this time with concern. At first, they were just teasing, but seeing how distressed she was made them change their tune. They weren’t the strongest believers in ghosts but their eyes had been opened up so much since attending the academy. They’ve seen things that they never thought they’d see in their lives. Perhaps ghosts weren’t the most farfetched explanation after all, but doubt still lingered.

“Well… whatever they are, they definitely aren’t students at the academy,” Sylvain said sympathetically. “They’re obviously intruders and skilled ones at that.”

“The best idea would be to arm ourselves,” Felix stated, his arms folded and his eyes shut as he thought. “As we are, there’s only one sword between us and that’s not enough.”

“The armoury is closed for the night. The academy doesn’t want the students using weapons for their pranks, so it’s being kept closed all night. No exceptions.”

“There’s always the training grounds,” Sylvain casually suggested. “They may not be as strong as what we usually use, but a few bronze and training swords are better than nothing.”

“That’s… actually a good idea Sylvain.” 

“You seem surprised, Ingrid. I’m chalk full of them, just no one takes the time to appreciate my genius.”

“More like we just tune you out because you talk too much,” Felix retorted as he rose up from his seat.

“Ouch.”

Now that the three of them had a plan, they started advancing towards their objective, while being cautious of any hooded figure they might see along the way. However, it wasn’t long until they found a cloaked figure standing in the open, wearing a white mask with red details and horns. They tried to sneak past them but the figure turned a little too fast and saw them.

“Well, hey there!” the figure greeted with large, burly arms. “Are you going to hand over your treats or am I going to have to trick you out of them?”

The three of them glared at the figure, thinking about what to do. This person was a little chattier than the figures they saw earlier, but it made no difference to them. It didn’t seem like they were going to let them go now that they had been spotted. The mask only added to the threat they felt coming from them.

“You two go on. I’ll take care of him,” Felix said, stepping forward and placing his hands on his sword, ready to pull it out at a moment’s notice.

“We’re not leaving you behind!” Ingrid protested.

“You’re not. I’ll be right behind you. This one may look strong but it’s nothing I can’t handle.”

“Yeah but you’re the only one with a sword,” Sylvain joked, hoping that it would knock some sense into Felix. “How else are we to reach the Arena if we encounter more of these guys without you?”

At that moment, much to Sylvain and Ingrid’s surprise, Felix loosened the belt on his sheathe and tossed it at them, with the sword still in tow. Ingrid was the one to catch it, fumbling with it at first as she wasn’t expecting him to do such a thing. He never let anyone touch his sword, let alone wield it. “Felix… your sword!”

“Take it. Defend yourselves. I can handle this with my bare hands, alone.”

Both Sylvain and Ingrid didn’t like the idea, but they both ran out of ammunition to try and protest. Ingrid grabbed Sylvain’s collar and began dragging him away. Sylvain caught on and began running himself but he paused for a moment and looked at Felix. “Hey! Don’t die on us, alright?”

Felix closed his eyes and cracked a small smile as he replied. “I haven’t forgotten.”

Sylvain knew what that meant and continued on with Ingrid, having faith in his friend.

Felix began cracking his knuckles and stepped forward towards the masked figure. “Let’s make this quick, alright? I’m not in the best of moods tonight.”

“Oh, you’re approaching me?” The figure began cracking his knuckles as well and began walking forward towards Felix. “You’re in luck then pal, this is my kind of treat.”

*

Dedue finally found a safe place in the hallway near the library. The actual room was closed for the night in order to protect the books from damage, so it was the best Dedue could get. He hoped to find a safer place for Dimitri later but for now, he placed the prince down gently and checked in on him.

“Your Highness, are you alright?”

He examined Dimitri’s body thoroughly. It appeared as if Dimitri’s joints were frozen in place, the only signs of movement being his knees and arms trembling. His pupils were constricted, and his lips were moving as if he was talking, but he wasn’t saying anything.

“Your Highness…?”

“This doesn’t make any sense…” Dimitri finally spoke, as he leaned forward and stared at the palms of his hands, which were now stiff and claw-like. “Father… Step-mother… Glenn… They don’t look like him… His face… It was different… His eyes… His voice… None of this makes any sense… All this time and now… and now…”

Dedue was concerned. He had never seen Dimitri in this state. He was rambling on like a madman, he looked insane. He vowed to always protect and support him, but he was at a loss on how to do that. Does he let him be? Does he try and do something about the figure they saw? Does he try and get the prince back to his room?

Soon the answer became clear. He was focusing too much on his duty rather than him as a person. As such, he placed his hands on Dimitri’s shoulders and began shaking him. It wasn’t too rough that it would be considered violent, but it was strong enough so that Dimitri could feel it in whatever trance he was in. “Please, snap out of it Your Highness!”

It seemed like what Dedue was doing was working, as Dimitri slowly raised his head to look up at Dedue. His eyes were still the same and he looked pale now that Dedue got a good look at his face, but he hoped his idea would help him. “We have been separated from the others. They could be in danger.”

“Others…” Dimitri echoed quietly.

“Yes. The rest of the Blue Lions are still on school grounds somewhere. I suggest we find weapons and then go find the others.”

“Yes… Find the others…” he echoed again. Dedue saw that Dimitri’s pupils were returning to normal, which relieved him. “They… they’re my friends… I won’t see them hurt.”

“Yes, exactly, Your Highness,” Dedue couldn’t help but smile, happy to see that Dimitri was back to his old self again. “The armoury is closed due to school policies. The training grounds should be open, however. We could find something there.”

“Yes, that is an excellent idea.” Both Dimitri and Dedue began advancing towards the training grounds, with Dedue hanging onto Dimitri’s arm while he walked. He seemed a bit shaken still, so Dedue didn’t mind helping the prince walk until he regained his balance fully. 

Dimitri turned to Dedue and said, “Dedue… what you saw then… will you promise not to mention it to the others?”

Dedue nodded. “If that is what his Highness wishes, then I shall comply.”

“Thank you, old friend.”

*

“Annette! Ashe! Where did you go?” Mercedes called out as she looked around for her friends. She lost sight of the two of them a while ago, but she was sure they were in the area. Their screams and the echoes of frantic footsteps died down around here, so all she had to do was find them.

She began hearing a rattling coming from a nearby storage room. The door was slightly ajar, unlike all of the other doors in the hallway. It was obvious where her two missing friends were.

She approached the door and opened it, donning a wide and bright smile as to try and not scare her friends. “There you are!”

“AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!” the two screamed in unison before dropping down to their knees and clutching onto each other. From their perspective, the light shining from behind Mercedes made her look sinister with a devilish grin on her face; one that matched her outfit. However, once the initial shock was over with, they recognized their friend and began calming down.

“Oh, I apologize for scaring you,” she said sympathetically. A sudden thought came across her mind, and while she did feel guilty for it, she couldn’t let the opportunity pass by. She just had to wait for the right time.

“It’s- it’s alright Mercedes,” Ashe responded, his hold still on Annette. “You just scared us a bit is all.”

And there it was.

“Did I really? Oh, I’m so sorry. I would’ve thought opening the door would be the least scary thing.”

“Wh-why would that be?” Annette asked, her voice cracking from fear.

“Well, you saw the spirit can walk through walls. They have no need for a door if they really wanted to spook you. In fact, if your attention was directed solely at the door, then they could easily come at you from behind.”

Both Annette and Ashe, in stiff unison, turned their heads around and looked at the back of the room they were in. It was dark, with just a bit of light from the hallway peeking through. They couldn’t see the bricks behind them. All it was, was just dark. An endless void. For anything to come out of, and they would never see it coming.

Annette and Ashe immediately rose up and raced out of the room, wanting the solace of the open hallway. Mercedes definitely felt guilty to cause her friends even more terror despite all they went through. However, she had always been one to enjoy the Harvest Festival and let loose a little. She’ll make it up to them tomorrow, without a doubt. But tonight, was her night for a little fun.

But her fun would have to wait. The three of them were safe from whatever they saw, but that didn’t mean the threat was nullified. Whoever they encountered in the other hallway was an intruder no doubt and they had to be taken care of. But first, she had to calm her friends down.

“I apologize for scaring you both, but you haven’t anything to fear. What we saw wasn’t a ghost.”

“Wha- what was it th-then?” Annette posed, still shivering.

“Why, an illusion of course,” Mercedes responded with a kind and confident smile, one that made the two scaredy-cats feel at ease. “I’ve heard of some magic that can cast illusions. The intruder probably cast a spell to look like they went through the walls while they snuck up behind us. Or maybe the one that was behind us was an illusion too. The spells can be quite powerful if the right conditions are met.”

“An illusion?” Ashe let out a sigh of relief. “Y-yes, of course. That makes perfect sense.”

“Yeah!” Annette chimed in. “I’ve heard of those too! Can’t believe I forgot!”

“Exactly! So, our priority now is to chase off any intruder, whether they’re an illusion or real. The armoury is closed but the training grounds are still open. We can arm ourselves there.”

“Excellent idea, Mercedes! Let us make haste!”

“Yeah, the sooner the better! We don’t need these creeps to ruin our night!” Annette looked down the hall and her mind began spiralling with thoughts. “Uhhhh… Mercie, mind going first?”

“Of course!”

Mercedes took the lead while Ashe and Annette followed suit. They were being wary of any illusions that may or may not pop up at any time, but having Mercedes in front filled them with confidence. As long as she was safe, so were they. However, both Ashe and Annette were also prepping themselves mentally in case something did pop out. They may have asked Mercedes to lead, but they didn’t want to put her in danger. Despite the fears they may have, losing their friend would be the worst fear come alive.

Mercedes, meanwhile, was trying to keep a calm and steady pace, careful not to rush into anything. They were in a hurry, sure, but they were being invaded by an unknown enemy. Too much haste could have them fall into a trap.

Did she actually believe that what they saw were illusions and not spirits? Sort of. She was a believer in the paranormal. As such, her illusion theory was just as valid as it being actual restless spirits. She didn’t know for sure, but what was important in that moment was keeping Annette and Ashe calm. So, until the threat was identified, she carried on while believing the enemy was using illusion magic. She hoped that’s all it was too…

*

Dimitri and Dedue were the first two to arrive at the training grounds. The doors were shut but they could push them open with enough force.

Before they attempted, Dedue spotted Ingrid and Sylvain coming towards them and pointed them out to the prince. Dimitri looked at them and smiled. “Sylvain! Ingrid! Thank goodness you two are unharmed! But… where is Felix? Is he not with you?”

“He stayed behind to protect us,” Ingrid said as she scowled, sheathing Felix’s sword now that they were safe and with others.

“It’ll be fine,” Sylvain said calmly and nonchalantly, trying to defuse the prince’s worries before they came to light. “Felix isn’t any ordinary fighter. We can trust him.”

“Yes… I suppose that’s true,” Dimitri said with a nod. He didn’t have a good feeling about leaving Felix behind, but he has known him for ages. Felix wouldn’t boldly sacrifice his life unless he was confident about who he was up against. All Dimitri could do was place his trust in his friend and accept what he did.

Just then, they saw Mercedes, Ashe, and Annette sprinting towards them. More of Dimitri’s stress was relieved now that he saw them safe and sound. All that was left was Felix, but he was sure they’d meet up with him again soon.

“Good news guys!” Ashe said as he stopped in front of the group of four, panting. “What we’re up against isn’t ghosts. It’s just an illusion!”

“An illusion? Hmm… yes, I suppose that does make sense,” Dimitri said as he pondered Ashe’s words. “That must mean there’s a spellcaster somewhere on the premises.”

Mercedes nodded. “Indeed. We don’t exactly know the strength or radius of the spell but no magic can be cast without a conjurer nearby. However, they could be on the academy’s grounds or away from it.”

“Your Highness,” Dedue said, having a solution to Mercedes’ concerns. “I suggest we arm ourselves and find the Knights of Seiros and the rest of the staff. We can find the source of the illusions much faster with their help.”

Dimitri nodded. “An excellent idea, Dedue. In fact, we shall split into two groups. You, Mercedes, Ashe, and I will find the staff and the knights while Ingrid, Sylvain, and Annette will head over to Claude’s dorm and see if they can recruit the Deer as well.”

“Yes, Your Highness!” Ingrid replied with a salute.

“What? You not including me in your plans, Boar?” a voice spoke, catching everyone’s attention. They turned and saw Felix approaching them. He looked a little dusted up from his encounter but was otherwise fine without many injuries.

“Felix!” Sylvain, Dimitri, and Ingrid said in unison, happy to see their friend.

Felix turned his attention to Sylvain and raised an eyebrow at him. “See, told you I didn’t forget.”

“That you didn’t,” Sylvain curled his hand into a fist and held it out in front of Felix. He rolled his eyes in annoyance but accepted the gesture anyways. He curled his hand into a fist and bumped it into Sylvain’s. He didn’t do it too often, especially with him, but this was one of the rare times he felt it was appropriate.

“Here’s your sword!” Ingrid said, offering the blade inside its sheathe at Felix.

“Thanks,” he said as he accepted it and equipped it onto his hip. “Let’s get you all some weapons now. Except for the boar. He can take them all on with his bare hands.”  
Dimitri nodded, ignoring the comment about him. “Yes, without delay.”

The eight Lions began pushing on the twin set of double wooden doors, opening them without much difficulty. They raced inside the circular arena only to be greeted by a hooded figure standing in the center. The top of the hood moved up slightly, as if they were looking up to notice the group of lions. Then, the figure raised its cloaked arms and pulled down the hood. The face that was behind the hood shook everyone to their core.

Sylvain couldn’t help but step forward to get a better look at the figure, to confirm what he was seeing. “Ashe… I don’t think this is an illusion.”

“Right you are, baby brother,” the figure said with a smile. 

“Miklan. But… how?!”

Miklan looked down and smirked as he spoke. “On the final night of the Wyvern Moon, the spirits get restless. Their collected resentment and despair from the rest of the year gets harnessed and allows the spirits to interfere with the physical world but only at a limited capacity for the night. These are the hauntings and ghost sightings that you all talk about.”

He raised his head and glared at Sylvain and began chuckling. “But now, thanks to some magical enhancement from some kind people, we’ve all been given the opportunity to exact our revenge in full for the whole night! And my revenge starts with you, baby brother!”

Black tendrils began appearing from his hands and began crawling up his body, consuming his flesh. The Blue Lions watched on in horror. The scene was familiar to them, it was something they had seen before, but to Sylvain, it was like he was reliving one of his worst memories and his greatest nightmare.

Soon enough, the humanoid form of Miklan had completely vanished and in his place was a large beast with glowing red eyes. 

“Stand your ground everyone!” Dimitri stated, preparing himself for battle. “Remember this is just an illusion! It cannot hurt us! We must press forth and arm ourselves then find the knights!”

To their sudden shock, a large and deep chuckle rumbled through the area. They were shocked to find that it was the beast doing the chuckling. “You still don’t get it, do you? This is no illusion. This is real, but circumstances are different this time.”

Miklan began to roar, which pushed the lions back slightly from their spots. That alone was proof enough of Miklan’s words. No illusion would be able cause such an effect, not unless there was magic to accompany it with. But the only ones that were there were the Lions and Miklan, no one else.

“Miklan…” Sylvain said in disbelief. He had no doubt in his mind that the beast standing in front of him was his brother. It was no illusion, no trick. It truly was the spirit of his deceased brother, the one whom he had a hand in helping to kill. He had no qualms with fighting him, even back then when the Church ordered for him to be taken care of. But everything about the situation baffled him beyond belief. “I don’t understand. None of this makes sense! How are you even speaking! You couldn’t last time!”

“That’s because what you see before you is my spirit. There is no body for this thing to take over. That weapon and I became one, but there was one thing it could not consume; my essence. Which means that since I no longer have a body, I can use its power for my own purposes, which include killing you!”

At that moment, Miklan began charging towards the group of Lions, his gaze fixated on Sylvain. Felix and Dimitri immediately darted in front of Sylvain, intending on protecting him. Felix drew his sword and Dimitri braced himself for the attack, hoping his bare hands would be enough to help. Miklan swiped at the three of them and sent them flying into a wall. The three groaned in pain as they tried to pick themselves up.

Mercedes watched on in disbelief. She believed Miklan was a spirit like he claimed. There was no way any illusion could be doing what he was doing. However, she knew that ghosts also couldn’t touch anyone in the physical world. They’re incorporeal, the most they can do is send a chill inside someone’s bodies or possess inanimate objects. Never had she heard or seen any stories about ghosts directly harming another living being without some outside source.

“Your Highness!” Dedue called out as he rushed to his side. 

However, he halted when he saw Dimitri raising his hand. “No! You five get the weapons now! We can handle ourselves!”

Dedue hesitated but upon Dimitri’s insistence, he led the rest of the lions to the back of the stadium, where the weapons were being stored.

“Let them go,” Miklan said, chuckling. “It makes no difference. I have my prize right in front of me, and I don’t intend on letting you go until you join me in the fires of eternity!”  
Felix quickly drew his sword and slashed at the beast. His eyes went wide in disbelief when he saw his sword phase right through Miklan, the only thing the slice connecting to was thin air.

In that moment of shock, Miklan used the opportunity to slap Felix away and send him flying into one of the Colosseum walls once again. He chuckled cruelly, “You see why now, you spoiled rotten children? You can’t touch me. Your weapons are useless. But I can touch you, because I’m not attacking your bodies. No, I’m attacking your souls! And since they’re still attached to your bodies, they go wherever it goes. But don’t worry, I intend to separate them very soon.”

*

Swords, lances, axes, daggers, bows; it didn’t matter to the lions. It was an emergency of the utmost importance. They didn’t have the time or luxury to be picky about the weapons. They had to grab as many as they could and fast. Dimitri and Sylvain were unarmed as they fought Miklan. 

“Ashe, Annette, are you two alright?” Mercedes asked as she collected a bunch of arrows to carry.

“Yeah, I’m okay Mercie!”

“Same here.” Ashe replied also, as he strapped axes to his back so his arms would be freer to carry other weapons. “It may not be an illusion after all. I’m still scared, but we don’t have the time to be scared. We face dangers every day. Miklan may be a ghost, but that doesn’t change who he is or what we need to do. We’ve fought him before and that’s how I’m seeing it. That’s how Kyphon would be in ‘Sword of Kyphon’. He wouldn’t let any fear of his interfere with his duty, and neither will I!”

“Well put, Ashe,” Ingrid added.

Not long after, the five Lions managed to get all of the weapons they could get their hands on. There were still some left over, but it was enough to equip themselves, Dimitri, Felix, Sylvain, and a few knights three times over. Mercedes was a bit unsure if any of this would work, but they didn’t have the luxury of being doubtful. They could figure out a plan later, but being armed was important for the time being.

Just as they were about to leave, they saw another hooded figure by the doorway. Ashe and Annette yelped in surprise but stood their ground. They each raised a weapon, along with the rest of the Lions, and were prepared to fight.

“Ashe…” the voice spoke. 

Ashe’s eyes went wide in shock upon the call of his name. He recognized the voice; it was all too familiar to him. His thoughts were confirmed too when the figure pulled down his hood and revealed his face. “L-Lord Lonato!”

Lonato smiled at him and tilted his head. “It’s good to see you my boy. You’ve grown a bit.”  
Ashe’s arms began trembling, not from fear, but from an overload of emotion. Tears welled up in his eyes as he gazed upon the spirit of his adoptive father. He still hadn’t gotten over his death; there was still a lot of sadness and anger deep within him, and seeing his spirit brought all of that to the surface.

“Why…” Ashe spoke between tears. “Why are you here?!”

He had to admit, he was happy to be able to see Lord Lonato once again. To be able to speak to him too, it was more than he could have hoped for and if it was any other time, he would thank the Goddess and feel blessed. But not now. There was a crisis going on, and Ashe knew from his clothing that he was involved with whatever was going on.

Lord Lonato sighed and frowned. “I’m sorry to have disappointed you once again. Truly…”

“Tell me… please… What is going on?” Ashe said, stepping forward and dropping his weapon. He knew Lonato wouldn’t hurt him, he trusted him. It was bad enough the Blue Lions had to quell his rebellion months ago, but Ashe didn’t have the heart to hurt Lonato again. 

“Miklan has told you some of it. The truth is, we were summoned to this realm by some people in an effort to destroy the Church of Seiros, and to kill the archbishop once again…”

Ashe couldn’t believe the words he was hearing. To think that Lord Lonato was involved in yet another scheme… words couldn’t express the disappointment he felt. “But… why Lord Lonato? You tried that once, remember? And look at where it got you! Aren’t you satisfied being reunited with Christophe in the afterlife???”

Lord Lonato looked up at the ceiling, but to him, it was as if he was looking up at the sky. “There… are some things that cannot be forgiven. Yes, I am with my son again and for that, I am fortunate and blessed. But my spirit is still restless, because there is something the archbishop has done that I cannot forgive her for.”

“What… what was that?”

Without saying a word, Lord Lonato began approaching Ashe. Dedue and Ingrid raised their weapons in front of Ashe in an effort to protect him, but once again, Ashe believed in his adoptive father. He began walking forward as well, pushing the weapons out of his way. Soon, he and Lonato were standing face to face, and Lonato reached his arms out and pulled Ashe into a hug. “For taking me away from you, my boy.”

The tears in Ashe’s eyes began to flow down his face. He wept uncontrollably while the others watched on. The display brought Annette and Ingrid to tears too. Mercedes would’ve wept too, if she wasn’t busy trying to analyze how it was possible for Lonato to hug Ashe. For now though, she kept her mouth shut.

“No…” Ashe said once he regained control of himself. He tried to push Lonato away but to no avail. His hands went through his body, but Lonato took that cue and floated backward away from Ashe. “You… you can’t do this Lonato, not again! Why can’t you just let the Archbishop be? You can’t pin the blame entirely on her! You’re the one that started the rebellion, you’re the one that chose to be part of whatever this is, but you can easily say ‘No’ Lord Lonato!”

Lord Lonato looked down in shame. Ashe’s words made sense to him. Indeed, he had the option to say no each time he acted. If it wasn’t for his actions, he would still be a part of the realm of the living, with Ashe still in his life. Perhaps he could’ve lived a happy life with him, but then again, his other son was still dead. No matter what, he was caught between a rock and a hard place. All he had was what he felt was right, but the doubts were there whether he took the right path or not.

“Ashe… I don’t expect you to understand, but I do what I feel is right. Perhaps… it is not truly the right path and the price of it was too much to pay. But how much longer do we let her tear families apart, like mine? That’s why all of these spirits are here today. We all have a vendetta against the archbishop that must be paid in blood. We cannot rest peacefully until that debt has been paid.”

“Excuse me,” Mercedes said as she piped in. “You said that you were summoned, correct? Miklan said the same thing and that you were enhanced. Could you perhaps tell us who summoned you?”

“That… I do not know.” Lonato said in shame. “The ones who summoned us and enhanced us donned black robes and wore masks. Whoever they were, however, they do have a vendetta against the archbishop and the Church. They knew exactly who would have grudges against the Church. We could all have our revenge as long as we all unanimously agreed.”

Lonato looked down at Ashe. “I only agreed on the condition that we do not harm the students. I… didn’t want to see you hurt my boy. So, everyone agreed to scare the students away from the monastery, or at least to their rooms, so they would not get involved. Then once the area was clear, that was when we were going to make our move. Miklan would only agree, however, if he could take his revenge against Sylvain as well. So, we assigned him to guard the training grounds. I had hoped to avoid having the two meet but-”  
“You only just inspired us to come here,” Ashe finished for him. “Lord Lonato, this isn’t right. Sylvain’s out there right now! If he dies, that blood is on your hands too!”

Lord Lonato looked down at his hands and sighed. “There’s already a lot of blood on my hands.”

“Lonato…” a voice spoke. It was a voice that none of the Lions recognized, and it was one that came from behind them. Everyone turned around and looked at the back of the room, where there was nothing but darkness with a few weapons poking out. However, a woman slowly emerged from the darkness, floating. The group could tell she was a spirit as they could see through her, but she seemed different from the rest of the spirits they encountered. Instead of a black cloak, she wore a white off shoulder dress. There was also a faint glow to her that the other spirits did not have.

“Who, who are you?” Lonato asked, captivated by this spirit’s beauty.

She landed on the ground and brushed some of her long green hair behind her. She smiled at the students, trying to make sure they weren’t spooked by her. “I am nothing more but a spirit that roams these halls and watches over the students.”

She stepped forward and spoke as she walked. “Lord Lonato, I’ve heard your tale. I am sympathetic to your plight. However, the archbishop isn’t the demon you believe her to be. She has made mistakes, she has made you angry, she has made you sad. I wish I could take away that sadness from your spirit. I hate to see anyone suffer, especially the way you have.”

She stopped just in front of Lonato and stood beside Ashe. “But look around you Lord Lonato. She has made mistakes; she has made errors of judgement. She is quick to act as well. But you are more like her than you know. Take a look around you. You and the rest of the spirits have been scaring the students and causing them turmoil. Especially your son. I wouldn’t blame him if after this encounter he thinks lesser of you. Do you really want that Lord Lonato?”

The woman’s words cut deep into Lord Lonato. He turned to Ashe and saw that there were still tears in his eyes. The way Ashe spoke to him earlier, it was not from a place of respect. He talked back to Lord Lonato, which was rare for him to do, even to anyone.

“But…” Lord Lonato looked back down at his hands, which were trembling now. “How am I supposed to rest where there’s still injustice? That woman took my sons away from me. She can’t go on as she pleases.”

“There are other ways,” the woman said confidently and sincerely. “There is someone that just came to the monastery that has the power to change the heart of the archbishop. But they cannot do it alone.”

She turned to Ashe, then gazed at Ingrid, Mercedes, Dedue, and Annette. “Together, with the students, they have the power to make change for the better. I promise you that things will not always be like they are. They will change, but you have to place your faith in the living. Our time has come, so all we can do is have faith and watch over them. See what world they create for themselves. I can tell from their hearts it will be a better world.”

“Place my faith in the living…” Lord Lonato repeated. When he considered the aspect, his hands stopped shaking, which helped make up his mind. He turned to Ashe and frowned. “My boy… I am truly sorry for causing you such distress. Can you find it in your heart to forgive a fool like me?”

Ashe already had his answer, he didn’t even need to think twice about it. However, he still had his ideals and wouldn’t abandon them. There was a way, however, to mix them. “No, Lord Lonato. I can’t. At least, not until you do something.”

“What is that my boy?” he asked, stunned by how blunt Ashe was with his words.

“Atone.”

*

“THIS ENDS NOW!” Miklan roared as he charged towards Sylvain.

Sylvain was barely keeping conscious. He was exhausted from all of the fighting. There wasn’t much he could do except dodge the attacks, which was a harder task due to Miklan’s current size. Dimitri and Felix were in the same condition he was. They were fighting a losing battle but they refused to give in. They had to have hope that their allies would return soon and they could retreat.

“ENOUGH!” a voice echoed throughout the arena. All eyes shot to the source and saw that rest of the Lions standing beside the spirits of Lord Lonato and the green-haired woman. Lonato stepped forward and glared at Miklan.

“Back off! This doesn’t concern you!”

“Actually, it does,” Lonato took a deep breath and strengthened his resolve. “I do not agree with what we are doing! Not any longer!”

“WHAT? TRAITOR! I WILL HAVE YOUR HEAD FOR THIS!”

Miklan began to charge at Lord Lonato, but the bottom half of his body began to disappear. Slowly, but surely, his spirit was fading away, back to the realm of the dead. 

“NO! THIS CANNOT BE!”

“As long as we all agree, we may use the spell’s power to remain in this realm.” Lonato spoke confidently. “But if one of us disagrees, then the spell is rendered null. We’ve used up our energy for the year, so there’s only one place for us to go now.”

“CURSE YOU OLD MAN!”

Lonato looked down and noticed the same thing was happening to him. He turned around and looked at Ashe. “Have… have I atoned for my misdeeds?”

Ashe’s eyes began to tear up once again. He nodded as he wiped them away. “You have, Lord Lonato, thank you.”

“Anything for you my boy.” he said with a smile.

Ashe approached him and let Lord Lonato pull him in one last hug while his hands still remained. Even though Ashe couldn’t touch him, he still tried to wrap his arms around the spirit. “Thank you Lord Lonato, for everything.”

“And thank you too my boy,” Lord Lonato looked up to the clear night sky and smiled. “Bless the goddess for bringing you into my life.”

Ashe waited for a moment before opening his eyes. He wanted to believe Lord Lonato was still there, hugging him, since he didn’t want that moment to end. He wanted to make it last, but nothing lasts forever. When he opened up his eyes, he saw Lord Lonato’s spirit was gone, departed back to the afterlife.

“May you finally rest in peace,” Ashe said, wiping away a few leftover tears.

“Umm, excuse me,” Mercedes said, breaking the silence. “If the spirits have passed on, then how come you’re still here?”

She was referring to the green haired spirit that still stood among them. She smiled at Mercedes sweetly. “Oh, I mentioned it before. I am a spirit that watches over those at Garreg Mach. I wasn’t summoned or enhanced like Lord Lonato. I haven’t used up my power yet so I still have a little time left.

“However…” the woman looked at the exit and smiled. “My spirit was brought forth from the return of my child and husband, who just recently arrived at Garreg Mach. I may not be able to be seen after tonight, but I will be around, watching over them.”

“If I may,” Dimitri said as he limped over to the Lions with Felix, supporting each other as they walked. “I have a question. Your appearance… are all spirits like that?”

The woman shook her head. “No, protective spirits have a little more glow to them, while vengeful spirits have a bit more sinister aura and look a little more ragged.”

“I see, thank you.”

“Now, children, please lend me your ears for a minute. I have something important to tell you.”

The eight of them crowded around the woman, listening intently to her words.

“Three of you did not hear my words earlier so I shall repeat them. The dead have faith in you all. We are all watching over you, seeing what future you all will build for each other. Our time may have come but as long as we are not forgotten, we are not truly gone. Keep your memories close to your heart and remember that you will never be truly alone. We will be there with you, in spirit.”

And with those final words, the woman disappeared.

*

Once the woman disappeared, the lions decided to put away the weapons since they didn’t need them anymore. The threat was neutralized and everyone was safe, for the most part. While Dedue, Ashe, and Ingrid stored the weapons back in their proper positions, Mercedes and Annette were healing Dimitri, Felix, and Sylvain’s injuries. Dimitri explained what Miklan told them during their fight, about how he was attacking their spirits, which is why he was able to affect them. It made sense to Mercedes, which made her smile. It was actually useful information for her to make her stories extra spooky in the future, which delighted her.

As soon as they were finished, they departed the training grounds and made their way to Claude’s party. It was soon to be time for it to start and they didn’t want to be late. After the night they had, they needed to wind down some and the party was the best thing for it.

On the way, they ran into Edelgard and Hubert, who were dressed as creatures who were commonly called “Noble Bloodsuckers”. 

“Ah, Edelgard and Hubert. Good evening,” Dimitri greeted. “That attire you are donning is quite suiting.”

“Thank you, Dimitri. Yours as well,” Edelgard replied.

“What brings you out here at this hour? I thought the Black Eagles were helping Claude with his party.”

“We were, but Claude needed some materials for a special surprise, so the three of us volunteered to retrieve them for him.”

“Yes,” Hubert added. “It appears the future leader is in need of a large axe, the horse named ‘Dorte’, and a cake.”

The entire group of lions were speechless, completely confused by this list that Claude needed. Some were concerned too about the need of Dorte.

Edelgard held her head as she shook it, feeling exhausted. “Don’t ask. It’s been a taxing night helping him out.”

“At least the party’s going to be unique!” Annette eagerly said, trying to lighten the mood.

“Quite,” Edelgard nodded.

“Wait a second,” Sylvain said, looking around. “You said three of you, but I only see you and Your Highness’s shadow.”

“Good evening!” a voice spoke from behind the Lions, causing Annette and Ashe to jump into each other’s arms. The rest of them were startled slightly as well, but only thanks to the night they had.

When they turned around saw who it was, they discovered it was Ferdinand dressed as a wolf and a sinister look on his face. “Apologies for scaring you, but it is the night of tricks after all! And I do believe that with you all, it puts me over the top of you Edelgard for how many people we scared!”

Edelgard sighed. “I’ve told you before Ferdinand, Bernadetta does not count and it was an accident.”

Hubert leaned into Edelgard and whispered into her ear. “Shall I dispose of him Lady Edelgard?”

“Not tonight,” she whispered back.

Ferdinand couldn’t help but laugh as he joined back at Edelgard’s side. Felix raised an eyebrow at him and asked, “And just what in the world are you supposed to be?”  
Ferdinand smirked and placed his hand on his chest proudly. “I am Furdinand von Aegir!”

*

“Hey, Sylvain,” Felix called as they were walking to Claude’s party. 

Sylvain hung back to match Felix’s speed. “What’s up?”

“That spirit I stayed behind to fight… I could punch him. He reacted to it too so he could feel it.”

“Wait, seriously?” Sylvain said, surprised. “According to Miklan, you shouldn’t have been able to do that.”

“I know. I tried that with Miklan too and I couldn’t.”

“Huh… maybe that guy wasn’t a spirit then after all and you just beat up some random student.”

“Probably.”

“I feel bad for him. Wrong place, wrong time and all that. Wonder who he was?”

*

Moans and groans echoed through the underground, as the masked man stumbled down the stairs. He was greeted by three more costumed individuals, all donning masks and carrying large pails. They took off their masks and smiled at him.

“There you are, Balthus,” Yuri said. “You look like you ran into a little trouble.”

“And then some,” Balthus took off his mask and cloak and adjusted his neck. “Some guy came up to me and beat me up.”

“Did you make a bet with him?” Yuri teased.

“Ha-ha, very funny.”

“He doesn’t have any treats,” Hapi stated bluntly, just after examining his arms.

“Yeah, dropped my stash before the brawl started and forgot to pick it up afterwards. He sent me running with my tail in between my legs.”

“Gee, what a shame,” Yuri said, looking away disinterested. “You know the rules though. We pool our treats together and divide it up equally. No contributions mean no treats.”

“Aww, come on pal! I’ve had a rough night! Take pity on me, I’ll get you some some other time I swear!”

“Fear not! For I, Constance von Nuvelle, shall be gracious enough to bestow upon you one hard candy from my personal stash!”

“Hear that Balthus?” Yuri said with a sly smile. “You’re not out of luck after all.”

“Hey,” he said with a shrug. “It’s better than nothing.”

***Bonus***

We learned how the Blue Lions would handle the situation if spirits invaded the monastery, but let’s take a glimpse to see how Byleth would handle the situation if they weren’t looking after an overly drunk Manuela.

The Ashen Demon sprinted as fast as they could to the armoury. The guard in charge watched in confusion as they quickly approached.

“Greetings, Professor,” Gatekeeper said as he watched Byleth push open the doors with their own hands. “Uh… nothing to report. How about you?”

“School’s haunted,” Byleth stated, just before pushing the doors open and gaining access to the equipment inside.

“Pardon me?” Gatekeeper asked as he watched Byleth collecting various weapons and strapping them on their body.

Byleth, being fully equipped and unable to carry anymore, stepped out and turned to Gatekeeper. They gave him an extra sword and equipped a crossbow in their hands. “School’s haunted.”

And just like that, they ran off to fight some ghosts.


End file.
